Moving

I've decided to move over to a wordpress blog. Adios.

Brisket

I bought an over 5 lb. brisket at Wegmans tonight. We're not Jewish, but we do like a good brisket. I plan on cutting it in half, and freezing half for later. It's way too much meat for two people. I'll probably do it barbecue style with noodles.

It looks to be like a lonely week for me. Ed is going to be working crazy hours for a tent sale at work. I may get some extra sleep, though. That is one advantage. I am still so tired from our busy season.

Next Day

Of course, I was right about yesterday. The shipment and paperwork were found in the warehouse today. So, it was my fault that it went missing? I think not. I argued the point that it was much more likely that something would be lost in a 40,000 sq. ft. warehouse rather than in my 8 x 10 office space, but it fell on deaf ears. And, did I get an apology of any form today? Of course not.

"Survivor" begins tonight. I'm going to DVR it like always, so Ed and I can watch it together when he gets home tonight. It's so cool and gloomy outside that I almost feel like napping before he comes home. Maybe I will.

Stress

It was a very stressful day at work today. It always is when boss lady runs the open order report. I felt like fingers were pointed at me for missing paperwork, when I am quite positive the loss occurred in the warehouse.

Tomorrow's another day, I guess.

Nobody Puts Baby in the Corner

Patrick Swayze died yesterday. It made me very sad. My favorite movie of his is "Dirty Dancing". If it's on, and I see that it's on, I will sit down and watch it. I've seen it over and over. I bet I even know the dance steps to Jennifer Grey's finale dance, if hard-pressed.

He was only 57, I think. Pancreatic cancer---it must suck to die that way. He had never quit smoking, because as he explained it in an interview clip that I saw, he had his priorities. He knew one or the other, smoking or cancer, would get him. He figured out which one would get him first. So, he never quit smoking.

RIP Patrick Swayze

Work Dreams

I think it comes with working longer hours, that I dream more about work. I had this strange one right before I woke up this morning. I was dreaming that I was at work, except the office just looked like a small bedroom somewhere. We all had makeshift workspaces, and my boss was working in the corner on a little Fisher Price desk.

Suddenly, this woman comes barging into the room, and it's obvious that she's a customer of ours. The weird part, of course, is that in reality we are a mail order business, and for the most part, only deal with customers over the phone. Anyway....she came in and said "do you have any P240's in stock?". I told her we were sold out, but that I would call her if we got more in. I asked for her phone number, and she said it was "610-354-gibberish gibberish...etc. So, I got closer to her and asked her at least two more times, but I could not make out what she was saying for the last four numbers.

Finally, I was almost up in her face, asking again, "what is your phone number????". With that, she gets this maniacal look on her face, reaches her hands out and locks them around my throat and begins strangling me.

With that, I woke up. Yeesh!!! Work can sometimes be bad, but I'm glad it's never been like my dream.

Sweet Victory

Ed and I just got back in from the casino. I walked in there with a $95.00 voucher and walked out with one for $178.25. Not bad for a couple hours on the slots.

The house in Maine fell through. The guy was very insistent on a $400 security deposit, and I was just as insistent that I would not pay it. We have never had to pay a security deposit on a weekly rental. It's just an excuse for the owner to pocket some extra money. The guy just gave out bad email vibes, anyway. It's just as well.

I watched three of my "thirtysomething" episodes last night. It's amazing how well they hold up. It's fun to see the fashions of the 80's again. The shows bring back a lot of memories for me.

Soup

It's not quite soup weather, but I'm trying out a new recipe tonight. Hamburger soup with barley. I hope it's good!

I did not have to work today, so I got up and colored my hair, and waited for Ed to come home from a short work day (he just had to do a delivery). We went shopping at Wegmans together. Ahhhh, love and togetherness.

We have already decided on a rental for next summer in Maine. Click here:

http://web.mac.com/oxygengroup/maine/Welcome.html

9-11

This date has always had a significance for me, long before 2001. My parents were married on September 11, 1954. They were both finishing college, with my dad going on to grad school with the eventual completion of a doctorate degree in chemistry. They were dirt poor, and sacrificed a lot to survive in those early years of their marriage. I was born on May 14, 1956--their first born child.

Today, I was thinking about my mom all day. I was wondering what it must feel like on your first wedding anniversary without your spouse. I know she wanted to go sit at the cemetery today, but the weather was not cooperating at all. I called her on the way home from work, and she sounded fine. I know she will never tell me how sad she is. She knows how much I still struggle coping with his death, and she will never say anything that would make me even sadder.

It seems like this year, there was less media attention given to the tragedy of 2001. I remember in past years, the radio stations had moments of silence at the exact times when the two planes hit the world trade center. Today, I didn't hear any mention of it on the radio at all.

Time seems to contribute more to healing than anything else. I have been discovering this as I deal with the death of my dad, and I think as a country we are also beginning to get over the events of 9-11-01. Never to forget, but with the knowledge that we all must move onward and forward.

Maybe This Weekend

Maybe, just maybe, I won't have to work on Saturday. I've been busting my butt to make that possible, and I feel like I'm on track.

Ed lost his temporary bridge today, and he had to go back to his favorite place to get it put back on...

Final HOH on BB tonight.

Tales From The Chair

Hi, Guest Blogger here. Well, the owner of the blog wanted to take a day off. That's OK with me. Interested about the title? The guest blogger spent 5 1/2 hours at the dentist today getting started on a 5 tooth bridge. And it is the first one that Dr. A. has done. Man, I feel good about that. J. knows that I hate going to the dentist, and this was going to be major work (and will continue to be with two more visits). Nothing like the sounds of drills, saws and brushes bouncing off the back of your head. Stuff flying into the air, and that constant gag feeling. The end result is that I have a temporary bridge in, a schedule to get one tooth ( couldn't be saved) removed, and a new bridge in three weeks.

The only way I could have tolerated this is that fact that J. loves me, and the dentist is pretty good and recognizes that I have a problem with the process. After this event, I think the next one should be easier.

Guest blogger signing off for today. J. will be back on Thursday.

Tuesday Feels Like Monday

Tuesday always feels like a Monday the day after a holiday. I'm hoping that even though it's a short week, that I might be caught up enough at work to not have to work Saturday this week. For one thing, I've worked the past four Saturdays, and even though the pay is time and a half, it's not fun. With the holiday on Monday, if I do end up working Saturday it will be paid as straight time, since I'm not working 40 hours this week. We'll see how it goes.

The golden girl emailed me today that she was so "bombarded" with her workload that she wanted me to take care of one of her salesman's requests. Of course, I just did it, because boss lady freaks out if anything is said about golden girl. So, I responded to the salesman and said I was emailing a bunch of confirmations to him, and that he should check the pricing. Two minutes later, I get an email addressed to me and the salesman, copying golden girl. Boss lady said, "G printed out your confirmations and they went in the mail on Friday, couldn't you wait until the mail comes????". So, I get chastised for responding to a request that wasn't my job to begin with....

Ed bought me the first season of "thirtysomething" on DVD. I'm so excited! It was always one of my favorite shows, and I can't wait to watch them and relive the 80s.

Indian Summer

Yesterday was like a perfect Indian summer day, yet today I feel like fall is right around the corner. It's much cooler today, with almost a chill in the air.

Labor Day is such a perfect holiday. There are no gifts, no decorations, nothing special to do at all, except it's a day off from work. The name of the holiday has a certain irony, though, doesn't it? It's to celebrate the efforts of all the workers in the United States, yet instead of laboring today, we all have the day off from work.

As it gets cooler, I know I'm going to think about my dad more and more. This time last year, we were making pretty frequent trips to see my parents, because my dad really couldn't get around too much. If he was feeling somewhat strong, we would go out to eat, and if not, Ed and I would stop at Wegmans and pick up something to grill. I still have no desire to ever go to an Outback again. It was the last restaurant my dad was in. He liked the lamb chops there, and I remember the last time we were there he wanted a taste of my mom's margarita.

He would have been 78 on November 1st, but he died on last December 5th, and was buried on December 8th. I love you very much, Daddy, and think about you all the time.

Garlic Festival

Today, Ed and I went to the Pocono Garlic festival. It was being held at the foot of the Shawnee Mountain ski resort. The website really hyped it, and I was expecting some huge event. It took us forever to get there---traffic backed up on route 209 for miles. We finally get there, and there is a $10 admission for adults.

Can I just say that we were underwelmed? There were a dozen food stands, all selling foods made with, you guessed it! Garlic. There were a couple of entertainment tents, and there were a few craft booths, and that was it. On the way in, I overheard a woman say, "it took us longer to get here than it did to walk around the festival". In our case, it took us the same length of time it took to consume a shared can of Budweiser.

We then took an alternate route home along the Delaware river and had a late lunch at a place called TK's Bar and Grill. The sandwiches were just, eh... It was a beautiful day, though, and at least we got out and did something.

And the recession is over?

The "guest blogger" requested to post today. In over 13 years at Brown-Daub, one of the top auto dealers in the US, we failed to sell a car, suv or minivan today. THAT has never happened before during my experience at Brown-Daub. After the Sat. AM meeting, Jim S., been there 15 years, asked me what we would sell (he didn't agree with the GSM count at 10: he thought 5 would do it) , and I wrote down the magic number: "O". At the end of the day, in the process of leaving, Jim remembered that. Doesn't bode well for the rest of the year. Anyway, the "guest blogger" is finished.

Conversation

I finally broached the subject of my inheritance with my mom tonight. I already knew how things were going to be split--not equitably in my opinion. But, I'm happy to say that we didn't really argue about it, and I understand her reasoning more as a result.

I went back and forth on bringing it up, and I finally started the conversation by saying, "now don't be mad", and she said, "I might be". From there, it really went okay, and I really really needed to say something to her about it again, even though she knows what I think. I find that I just let things eat at me, and it's not a healthy way to live.

I hate being a worrier and a fretter.

Eviction

It's eviction night on Big Brother. I would really like to see Jeff in the final 4, but I don't know if he can be saved at this point or not. I don't know why I care about this show so much.

I spoke with my mom on the phone last night, and did not bring up some things that are bothering me. Probably better off that way....

I'm soooooo tired. Working these long hours really takes it out of me. I'm too old for this.

Thirty Something

I saw a commercial this morning that said the first season of "Thirty Something" was available at Target. I neglected to hear that it's not available until September 5th, so I sent the guest blogger on a bit of a wild goosechase today...

The guest blogger gets to write again! Yeah! Yes, I rather felt like an idiot when the Rt. 248 electronics guru punched in the title of a TV series I didn't watch, and he came up with nothing. Oh well, maybe this store didn't have it yet. On the next new Target on Airport Road....again, nothing. Back to home, started the search and came up with a release date of 5th of September. No wonder the guest blogger had no results.

Point being: what you do for love. Anyway, the "30 Something" series, which I know J will watch, I will get for her.

Oink

Iron Pigs won 3-2. We had a great time at the old ball game!

One Third

There are things on my mind that I prefer to not write about, so I'm not going to.

$100

Ed and I went to the Sands today for brunch. We both had sort of a weird assortment of food. He had shrimp, cheese, salmon, hashbrowns and I don't know what else. I had pot roast, a baked stuffed half potato, a roll, and sausage. We both started with the New England clam chowder, which was quite good. And, we both had fruit and two kinds of cake for dessert.

After brunch, we played the machines a while. I won 400 quarters for hitting 4 deuces on a deuces wild machine. Not bad! Net-net when we left, my winnings were more like $40 rather than $100, but I'll take it.

I'm making a new casserole dish out of the huge yellow squash that Ed brought home. We are also having grilled chicken tonight. The weather is really nice today, and it will be pleasant to sit out on the patio.

Mani Pedi

Well, I finally got to the nail salon. It was almost disasterous, though. The girl assigned to me royally screwed up my pedicure. First of all, she cut my nails way too short, and in an effort to free a toe nail that was starting to in grow, she left it all uneven and dug it out so much that I was bleeding.

Things went from bad to worse when she started on the polish. I selected a very deep burgundy shade, and I could see she was painting my nails, then painting around the edges with acetone to clean up her mistakes. Because the color was so dark, her acetone brush was literally painting all over my TOES with a lovely shade of pink. I finally had to stop her, and I got the other girl to redo my nails. She apologized profusely....and said "she cut too short!". No kidding!

I'm half watching NBC news, and there are lots of people waiting at the capitol building to see dead Ted Kennedy. I don't get all the media frenzy, but I suppose he deserves it more than Michael Jackson.

Kodachrome

My mom mentioned this evening on our phone conversation that she couldn't find this book of my dad's and she wondered if he had given it to me. It turned out to be a book called "America in Kodachrome", and my dad had responded to an ad and sent in a bunch of family photos way back when, and one that he submitted was used in the book.

I did a little internet search and found the pictures. The picture in the book from our family photos is a picture of my youngest sister at my grandmother's house in Ohio. I think she had just turned five, and she is holding her brand new Barbie doll. It's slide 10 of 32 here:

http://www.rosegallery.net/index.php#mi=2&pt=1&pi=10000&s=0&p=0&a=34&at=2

I love Kodachrome photos. The color was so brilliant and unreal.

I Could Have Predicted It

My sister reported to my mother that my nephew (with Down Syndrome) didn't like the bench. It was probably more like my sister didn't like it...was jealous I bought it for my mom, etc. etc. Whatever, whatever! I am so glad I've pretty much severed ties with both of my sisters, because I can't stand either one of them.

My mother's theory is since she was an only child she didn't know how to raise siblings properly. She thinks we should have been left to our own devices to settle squabbles when we were little, rather than her always trying to stop the fights. I really disagree. I have nothing in common with either one of them and never did. One of them is just plain crazy, and the other one is just evil. In any case, I have no use for either one.

Amber and Finger Food

Amber seems to bark much more at dinner time if the food is something we pick up with our fingers. Corn, ribs, chicken wings, pizza...they all seem to have the same excessive reaction.

Tonight was ribs, mac salad, and corn on the cob. The guest blogger cooked it all himself, and it was all very yummy. He even garnished the mac salad with a couple of home grown nasturtiums.

Hot and Sweaty

I'm tired of this weather. Blah....

Getting Sick? I Hope Not

Right now I have a temperature of 100.4. I'm achy, have the chills...no idea why. I laid down from 7:15 tonight until 8:40. I was under the covers in bed and still shivering. I know I dozed off a bit.

Welcome to the fall shipping season. I cannot afford to get sick and miss any work.

Cement

We purchased a cement garden bench for my father's grave site. It's in three pieces, the two base legs and a top, and it's very heavy duty. I think my mom was surprised, and I also think she likes it. In fact, I know she likes it. By the time she walks out to grave, she is too tired to stand long, and now she can sit with Daddy.

I miss him so much. That will forever be cemented in my heart.

Tired and Cranky

I'm totally exhausted. Seven hours of training for a job I've been doing for five years. It was very, very boring and unnecessary. Of course, the golden girl from South Jersey was spared attending. So unfair!

I have a flank steak marinating, and we'll have a nice salad and baked potatoes with...hope it turns out good!

Rita's

Rita's Mistos are the best. I have mango tonight, but lemon is my favorite.

Watching the premiere of "Project Runway".

Yes, I should have Twitter...that is what this entry sounds like.

When It Rains It Pours

We had way too many goodies at work today. First the Ward rep came in to drop off our tarriff and brought a huge box pastries. Then, another trucking rep who is trying to get our business brought in two dozen Dunkin Donuts, and finally we had the Dutch birthday cake.

I was sick in the middle of the night for some reason, so I limited myself to just trying half a pastry and I tasted the Dutch cake, which was .... Eh...

We went from an empty parking lot to a full one overnight. 12 temps started working today.

Sweets and employees....when it rains it pours.

Homework

I'm not sure how frequently I'll be able to update here. Work is definitely BUSY with a capital B. K. and I finished our training homework together, while the boss was at our South Jersey location. It was a good day to do that...without her looking over our shoulders. Training is this Saturday. Oh, joy.

Boss lady's birthday is tomorrow. She will be 40 years old, and her plan to "lose 40 by 40" has not worked out. (40 lbs. lost by the time she turns 40). I special ordered her a self-inking stamp that says "REJECTED" since she has verbally expressed a desire for such a stamp. She will use it on orders that are submitted up to her standards. Her mom brought a special cake back from Holland for her precious daughter. It will probably taste overly sweet and dry like most of the "Dutch treats" I've sampled.

In entertainment news, Big Brother was great last night. It's getting very interesting!

Punishment

My co-worker, K., is being punished by our boss since she committed the unforgivable sin of taking a vacation in August. It says in our contracts, no vacations from August-November due to the seasonal nature of our business. K. had an opportunity to go on a family reunion camping vacation in Maine, and the only time the whole family could get together was the first week in August. She was granted permission, but all week long since getting back, the boss has been ragging her relentlessly. I told K. that I bet she would think twice about doing that again.

I'm sitting here waiting to hear from Ed. He had a couple deliveries to do at work, and dinner plans are sort of up in the air until I hear from him. Time enough for a couple of Bubbleshooter games while I wait, I suppose.

Post Hendrick's Gin: The Forgotten Episode

The weather was absolutely horrible today: mid 90's and humid. Even Amber didn't want to go out tonight. (Yes, this is the "guest blogger" writing tonight. Readers, not to worry, the main author is fine, I think.)

Mad Men's 3rd season started last night. Not that the blog owner remembered! We ran out of our favorite beverage last night, thus the re-introduction of J's favorite gin: Hendrick's. This stuff is custom blended with all the right herbs, tastes vaguely like a medicial product, and produces some strange effects. The owner was astounded to discover that she couldn't remember any of the 1 hour long episode, blame it on the Hendrick's. Anyway, she is back to normal tonight.

Dinner at Celebrations tonight. Again, a pleasant surprise: potatoe wrapped shrimp, delicate and absolutely delicious. Signing off, the "guest blogger". See you soon.

Five Guys

It's been a pretty lazy Sunday afternoon. We did go out briefly to get a new propane tank for the grill, and we stopped at the new Five Guys Burgers. It was not really ALL THAT. I mean, it was a good burger and fries, but nothing I would race across town to get again. In fact, we've found a pretty good frozen burger that we like to cook ourselves called Bubba burgers. They are pure Angus beef and quite tasty.

I've watching trashy Lifetime movies most of the afternoon and playing that awful addicting game, Bubbleshooter. I'm looking forward to seeing Big Brother this evening...lots of drama going on. Then it's the premiere of my very fave show, Madmen!

Forty Years Ago

There was an interesting show on VH1 last night about Woodstock. It's a subject I find fascinating, because I wish I'd been there. Unfortunately, I was only 13 years old at the time....

Peace Out!


HeHeHe. The "guest blogger" was. Rain, drugs, mud and rock 'n roll. Didn't find the car back to Massachusetts for a day. But had fun. Fun? So far from the stage, no food, lots of booze, stoned and wet. A lifetime experience. Where else is a moment in time a real moment in time. Listening to the Woodstock Channel at work for the past two days, I did catch a couple of the tunes heard. But 40 years later, it was just an experience in your life: one that I was lucky enough to have taken.

And So It Begins

I was very busy at work today. Since we are a seasonal business, this is pretty much when the "season" begins. Somehow I managed to lose a few packing slips that I had just printed today. I even knew after doing a shipment summary report which ones I was looking for. I retraced my steps, checked every printer, when through all files, and I still have no idea where they are. I made sure I told my boss, since I wouldn't put it past her to have taken them in the first place to see how I would react.

Last night, the guest blogger managed to break our coffee carafe. He had it perched precariously in the dish drainer, and as he was walking downstairs, the vibrations kicked it out of the dish drainer (or maybe my dad did it?). Anyway, he hears breaking glass, and rather than investigate, he comes back to the bedroom and tells me there has been an "explosion". So, of course, I go with him downstairs to the kitchen, and there is the carafe in a million pieces. Nice...ask me to go confront a potential intruder!

I went shopping at Wegmans after work, so that task is done. Maybe I'll go get a mani-pedi tomorrow. I won't have too many free Saturdays once the overtime kicks in.

It's Gonna Be Crowded

I talked with my mom tonight. She called me on my way home from work, and we talked the whole drive home, and then more once I got inside. I guess it's official. My nephew and his wife will be moving in with her once their lease is up in October. My mom said they were over at her house stripping the wallpaper off the upstairs bathroom and my sister's former bedroom.

On the one hand, I'm glad my mom will have someone living there with her, but on the other hand, I don't have much to do with my sibling or her offspring...

Returns

It just started pouring rain at work. I just spoke with Ed, and he’s not getting the rain across town. He’s had quite the frustrating retail day…I think I will turn this over to him tonight to describe the fun times!

Go for it, Guest Blogger: There were no fun times today. Let's start with the downstairs PC: J. said that it wouldn't connect at all on Tuesday. Well, the guest blogger went off to Best Buy's Geek Squad to see what the problem was. Turned out it really wasn't anything more than the password was "lost" somehow. The kid was very helpful though, and just in case, if was a hardware problem, he recommended Netgear's USB port. Bought one. Well, then I found the password, and we're up and running. Have to return the port on Friday.

Next comes the new bedspread adventure. We saw one at The Christmas Tree Shops on Sunday, but it was a king, and somehow, we felt that it was too large. Needless to say, J. mother said "it's only 6 inches bigger". Well, I bought it. After stripping the bed, flipping the matress, and sheeting and everything, I put the new spread on. Guess what, it not only covered the bed, and the hope chest, and fell on the floor on the sides. Reverse everything and put the old one back on. Like I needed the "bed change" exercise. Went back and returned the package.

Thus, the guest blogger's day off was spent running around. Now on to USA vs. Mexico soccer, and the laundry. Something has to go right. Oh yeah, I finally tried Sports Barber Shop on Union Blvd: quite the place, got a great haircut.

Dead Beats

Ack! I hate making collection calls. I don't quite understand why I feel like my boss is blaming me for the A/R being as high as it is. There is not much else I can do about it, short of getting a baseball bat and personally visiting the offending accounts.

It's rather lonely in my corner at work this week. My co-worker, K., is on vacation in Maine this week. She is camping with a large family group near Bar Harbor. As much as I'm envious of vacations in Maine, the camping part turns me right off. I haven't been camping since my late twenties. I think I'm too old for it now. I expect a clean bed, linens, a private bathroom... Yes, I do believe my camping days are over.

The Aftermath

Day 1 of no surfing at work went okay. I really don’t have a problem with it, because I don’t goof off on the job much anyway…I’m way too busy most of the time. I did notice that places like Facebook and other entertainment and game sites are blocked. I can still get to all the sites I legitimately need to use, like trucking company websites, Switchboard, etc. My one co-worker is bent out shape that she can’t check her bank balance from work anymore. I also tested and tried to get to blocked sites from anonymizer.com and from Google, and no go. So, the system they are using is fairly sophisticated.

I was looking forward to being able to go back to parking on my street again. As predicted "Dipshit" was parked more in front of our house than his, sticking out a foot and crooked. I squeezed in behind him and should have boxed him in really good. Musikfest is over, and our peaceful little neighborhood returns. Okay, it’s not exactly quiet and peaceful, but at least it’s just the few random Trans Bridge buses speeding up and down the street, and not a constant stream of “fester cars”.

Casino

We went to the casino today and had a great brunch, and then lost some money. The restaurant with the brunch had everything imaginable available. The creamed chipped beef was very good, the fruit was excellent, and Ed enjoyed the peel and eat shrimp.

When we got home I turned on the A/C. It looks to be a couple of hot and muggy days ahead. Musikfest concludes this evening. Thank goodness! We get our street parking back. Good riddance festers!

Perm

I finally got my hair cut and permed today. It was way overdue, but I just wasn't able to fit it in until today. I really liked the girl that did it. My regular girl was doing a color job, so I just took a risk on the new person.

We are grilling a whole chicken tonight. I have had it brining in salt-brown sugar-fresh herbs since this morning. The herbs came right out of my garden...sage, tarragon and rosemary

Overall, it's been a nice relaxing day. I think I will continue my new routine of going grocery shopping on Friday night rather than Saturday. The store is less crowded on Friday, and why should I take up time on day off doing this chore?

Internet Usage

So, the boss has blocked certain sites on the internet. I was too busy to see what exactly was blocked, but C., who is the most excessive offender, was the first to discover it this morning. I guess we are like kindergarten children and can't be trusted.

More of the Same

“Big Brother” is on tonight, and it conflicts with the two-hour finale of “So You Think You Can Dance”. I think I’ll DVR “Big Brother”. I’m most anxious to see who wins on the dance show. My money is on Kayla.

Today was the start of the craziness at work. I had to scramble to put some orders on hold and make phone calls, because some of the customers are in very bad shape with their accounts. I feel like I’m holding their iris orders hostage.

Musikfest is still going on. I can’t wait until it’s over this Sunday. We may even not make it down there this year, since the weather has been either rainy or hot and humid. Ed commented last night how the first year we attended, which was years ago, we ran around from platz to platz not being bothered by the heat at all, and it was very hot that year. I guess we were younger and skinnier then. That might have something to do with it!

Murder Death Kill

What a shocking story in the news about that Pittsburgh gun shooter at the LA Fitness Center. He killed three women and injured a bunch of others. It turns out he kept a blog. It is so clear from reading his blog that he hated all women and had no respect for anybody, including his immediate family. He was a real loner, and surely fit the profile of a psychopathic murderer.

Whenever I read stories like this, the first thing I think about is how random these types of killings are. It could happen to anyone, anywhere. He supposedly had an ex-girlfriend attending an aerobics class there, but judging from his blog, it was probably just someone he maybe dated once. This guy had NO real relationships with any women. That was his problem.

My dad has been gone 8 months today. I can’t believe it’s been that long. I miss him so much.

Parking

As I had mentioned before in an earlier entry, we have this neighbor who is a rather clueless parallel parker. This morning, I noticed that he had put out two lawn chairs in the street to “save” his parking space. First of all, this is never done during Musikfest. The street is for public parking, and Dipshit should know better.

In the winter, it’s a different story. It’s sort of an unwritten rule that if there is a major snow storm and you have spent the time to dig out your car and the parking space, it’s okay to reserve that space with a chair or a crate or what have you.

So, getting back to Dipshit, if the cars that park in front and behind the chairs park too close, he’ll never be able to get in the spot anyway. I would hope that during the day someone took the initiative to just move the chairs.

Cleaning Supplies

Before I left home this morning, the cleaning lady gave me a bunch of directives about new supplies that she needs. I’m thinking she wants to go the more disposable route, since she specified that she wants a new micro fiber mop and an extendable Swiffer. If it makes her clean any better, I’m all for it.

Everyone is still talking about Teacher’s Pet’s behavior on Saturday. So, it wasn’t just my imagination. The girl truly is a nasty bitch. The phones are getting busier, so it’s not quite as boring today as it has been for the last few weeks. In a couple weeks, I won’t even have time to think.

Flood

We are back from a visit to South Jersey to see my mom. What an adventure. It took almost 2-1/2 hours to get there due to flooding from heavy rains all over the area. It was smooth sailing on the way back, though.

We had a surprisingly good dinner at Ponzio's. Ed loved his prime rib, my pork roast was excellent, and we have leftovers.

All in all, a frustrating travel day, but I'm always happy to see my mom.

Training

Today we had training at work from 8 am until 2 pm. First, I hate working Saturdays, secondly it's very boring to get training on what you already know. This training program will ultimately be for new hires, so our group were guinea pigs, I suppose.

The most gratifying event of the session was to point out a major grammatical error on the cover page/mission statement. The whole document had supposedly been proofed by Teacher's Pet (co-worker I don't get along with) and there was a glaring disagreement between subject and verb in the first sentence of the cover page. Oh, the evil eye and daggers I got. She was sitting directly across the table from me.

The best things about the day were Panera souffles for breakfast, pizza for lunch, and time and a half pay.

Oh, and word up to the Trainer Lady...you may think that scilla is pronounced SKILL-UH because you are told "that's the way the Dutch pronounce it", but Webster's dictionary says it's SILL-UH. So, since I'm American...Boss is not going to be getting me to change my pronunciation anytime soon.

As seen at dictionary.com:

Scilla 
/ˈsɪlə; It. ˈʃillɑ/ Show Spelled Pronunciation [sil-uh; It. sheel-lah] Show IPA
Use scilla in a Sentence
–noun
modern name of Scylla.

Musikfest

Today is the start of Musikfest in our town. It’s a 10-day music festival of mostly free performances, although there are headliners like Blondie, Chris Isaak, David Cook and others on the main stage that have ticket fees. Over a million people descend on this town over the next 10 days, and traffic and parking are a mess.

Because of our house’s location, we are only a couple minutes walk from it all, and as a result, our street is very popular for parking. Fortunately, we do have two spaces in the alley that are on our property, so instead of parking on the street as we normally do, we have to park behind the house. It’s a minor inconvenience, but most of our neighbors are not lucky enough to have off-street parking.

This is the one time of year when our neighbor, whom I refer to as “Dipshit”, is out of luck for parking. The rest of the year he hogs the street and usually takes up a couple of spaces, since he doesn’t know how to parallel park properly. It serves him right that he’ll have to scrounge for parking for the duration of Musikfest.

I’m not very neighborly, I guess.

Not so Dreamy

I had the strangest dream last night. Actually, I very often have strange dreams, but this one was especially so. The beginning of the dream I found myself in water, and I was sinking down, and taking in mouthfuls of salt water.

Then, all of a sudden it shifted to this very weird prison setting. The place was on a mountain, and there was this almost vertical conveyor belt that was transporting the prisoners in individual little vehicles. After they reached the top of the mountain, the conveyor belt continued to the entrance of a prison, and all along the route there were guards with guns. It was dark, and strobe lights were panning the area.

Ed and I were going to the prison to visit this woman who had murdered her husband. I have no idea why we were visiting her. So, we get escorted to this basement area, and there she is. She looked like a nutcase and only had about five teeth. All of a sudden she lunged at both of us like she was about to attack us, and a guard had to step in and hold her back.

Next scene, Ed and I are on our way out of the prison, but it requires walking along these very narrow pathways high up the mountain, and I’m so afraid I’m going to fall….

Then, I woke up.

Of Bubbleshooters and Thunderstorms

Ed and I are both addicted to this silly little arcade-type internet game called “Bubble Shooter”. It is the most mindless game, but very addicting! Every game I play, I think, “oh, I can do better next game”, and so the addiction continues. It’s a good thing we only took one computer to Maine, since otherwise we would have both been playing the dumb game all night long. Bubbleshooter is the devil!

The weather was strange today. It looked like it wanted to rain all day, and it finally did. Now it’s cleared up again, but I did hear on the radio that there were tornado warnings in the Poconos. All this rain has not been helpful for the growth of our vegetable garden. There are no signs of beans yet, and no ripe tomatoes except for the little orange ones. We need sun!

Post South Coast Blues....At Work

The guest blogger was "forced" to post tonight. Look, no pictures. So we'll keep it straight forward. I MISS the past week in Maine. Sleeping in, taking it easy, dinner in, dinner out (although we are going out tonight, much too muggy to cook out, hehe...) the water around us, and the dog just sleeping in the non-conditioned air. Well, the planning has started for next year, at least in our minds. The blog owner wants to go south of Bethlehem in 2010. Not happening. We are no longer beach people: we prefer that colder water at this stage. Perhaps next year should be on a lake, but, I do believe we will do the Midcoast of Maine. In thought, it all depends on our dog, Amber. She has been a living rock the past 3 years: close to 2,500 miles in the car over 3 trips (those are just driving miles back and forth to where we stayed and Bethlehem).

For the moment, the South Coast edition writer is signing off. The blog owner now has to take over. I'll be back in the future. Thanks for reading.

Back to the Grindstone

Oh, boy. Back to work after a week’s vacation is a drag. At least the boss is preoccupied. We are getting a new server installed, so the software consultant guy is here all week getting that running. I found out we do have training this Saturday from 8:30am – 2pm. I’m not thrilled with that, because Ed and I are going to see my mom on Sunday, so there goes my weekend.

Tonight is The Bachelorette finale. Who will she choose?

Recuperating

Today has been a very lazy day. We slept in, went to Staples to replace my mouse, and get a new flash drive. On the menu for dinner is grilled pork ribs, corn and baked potato wedges. This is quite a departure from the lobster in Maine.

I've been watching junk TV all afternoon, and Ed and I have been on separate floors...me upstairs, he downstairs. It might be a good idea after all the "togetherness" this week.

Back to work tomorrow.

Home

It was a long, annoying car trip. That is all.

Last Day of Vacation

I can't believe vacation is almost over! It went by very fast. Today was sort of a rain-out type day. The rain was very heavy all last night, and continued throughout the day. We took a drive inland again, this time towards the northwest. We went for lunch at a home-cooking restaurant called Cole's Farm. Lunch was very good....meatloaf sandwich and fish chowder for Ed, and I had the hot meatloaf with mashed and gravy. The waitress forgot my salad, and given the fact that Cole's Farm makes and sells their salad dressings, I did insist that she bring me the salad with my entree. We ended up buying a bottle of the dressing, a blackberry jam and Flo's hotdog relish.

We continued on to Freeport, and made a very hurried stop at LL Bean, but at least I can say I was there at the "mother store". I was looking for summer flipflops, but saw nothing I wanted. We then continued on the Rt. 1 path, and here we sit...on the last night of vacation. *sad face*

South Coast4: The Marsh Amber Edition

When Amber was a little puppy, the guest blogger tried to get her to swim. Here we were in the creek in Bethlehem, and she did not want to be in the water. A lab no less: what is wrong. Well , over the years, even pushing her into a lake made no difference: Amber doesn't like water, except for rain and snow, then she goes nuts.

The photo is the difference. The guest blogger was getting pix of the marsh at high tide just to show the difference in the water levels. Of course, Amber came down to the lower porch. I turned and the next thing, after the splash, was Amber in the water scurrying around. Amber, up to her belly in the watery marsh. She moved around the marsh, and I was trying to get her to come to me. She finally did, but I couldn't get her out. Off came the shoes, stepping into the water, and getting her to move to shallower water, I finally lifted her out. She is 12 1/2 years old, and on this trip she's acting like around 6. What a dog!

Now onto the "pod" village. We went to "All Day Breakfast" for brunch/lunch today. JoAnn had the hash/cheese omelet, which I should have had, bye the bye. Breakfast overall was excellent. Then we decided what to do: basic argument, we had left the Nikon behind. We drove around on two different shore routes, and by the George Bush waterfront estate. (We would come back later to take photos: quite the place.) On the way home to get the camera, we also stopped to get some pickled beets, and two jellys at a roadside, honor friendly, stand. These should be good; the beets will be given to the blogger's mother for the ultimate taste test.

Back to the "pod" village: JoAnn punched into Noreen the address for Willowbrook Village, about 35 north/west of our location. Off we went over one of the worst roads know to man. 22 miles of bumbs, woods and no traffic. One would have thought we were in Stephan King land waiting for some roadside attack. Willowbrook Village features exhibits on 19th century crafts and livestyles. Some great displays done in separate buildings. Wish we could publish all the photos that the blogger complained about downloading from the camera. Felt like pod village; I doubt there were a total of 50 people there visiting. Laid back enough to be enjoyable: worth a visit and then never again. (I love the blog's owner and I do like that she wanted to do something different than the South Coast running around.)

Bottom line, we have rain coming on Friday. The lab will be kept on a short leash for the balance of the vacation. Things are good.

South Coast 3A Edition: Portland Art Museum & Wednesday Boat Ride

As you can see the owner of this blog failed to mention a bunch of activities for Tuesday. I suggested that we go to the Portland Art Museum. That met with some resistance for her. Rain was happening all day, and she didn't want to get wet. Anyway, we drove to Portland and went to the museum. Created in 1983, with major funding from the Payson Family, this is a great work of art in itself. Designed by the internationally know architect Lei, this building of 4 floors oozes with quiet elegance. The major exhibit this summer revolves around New England artists, included a major exhibit on N. C. Wyeth. Absolutely great. The blogger liked the overall feel and artwork presented. Needless to say, PMOA was a hit. (Shown in the pix is the main lobby.)

Lunch again was a smash. J's Oyster & Raw Bar just off Commercial St. A locally attended restaurant, it doesn't have any fried fish!!!!!! Local people sit at the U shaped bar. Place was started in 1973, and it shows. However, the food was over the top, starting with the fresh oysters, a plate of "baker's dozen" for only $10.95. You can't get any better than that!!!!!!

We both had the lobster salad plates: coleslaw worth taking home, potato salad that makes anything at Wegman's look not-homemade, and some of the sweetest tasting cold lobster ever. Served with a side of mayo, one could add what one wanted. Absolutely something that any other upscale restaurant in Portland would not even hesitate to charge $19.95 for than the $12.95 at J's. One of the finest meals the guest blogger has had. Period.

As an aside, let the guest blogger catch you up on today (Wednesday). We took another cruise today on the Casco Bay Line. Missed the Peaks Island normal run, but, instead took the "Black Diamond" cruise to 4 ports on the inhabited islands in Casco Bay. Turned out to one of the better boat rides we have taken. Got to see what visitors and locals that live on the islands go through.
The two hours were fun, and very relaxing. Lunch at The Dry Dock, outside and upstairs, was good. We bought 4 1 1/4 softs at $3.49/lb at Three Sons Lobster Co. for dinner. This should be a nice evening, staying home, doing laundry, talking and just chilling. The guest blogger will be back on Thursday: no more mosquito sightings.

I'm Bugged About Something

It's me again. The guest blogger is doing a great job, isn't he? It's 7:15 am, and I might go back to bed, but right now I'm just enjoying the quiet of an early morning on the marsh? Bog? I guess its' technical name is estuary. It fills up from the ocean with the tides. One thing we didn't know before we got here was how bad the mosquito problem was going to be. Both Ed and I have got bites from head to toe. They itch something awful, which is only made worse by scratching them, but I have to scratch!

I have no idea what today has in store. We don't have any real plans, and it looks like there is going to be some rain today. I leave you with a picture of a chipmunk that showed up on the deck yesterday morning.

South Coast 3: The Boat Trip Edition

No summer in Maine would be complete unless we take a boat trip. And this summer, the trip was the lighthouse tour from Dock Wharf in Portland, Me. This guest blogger has always liked Portland.....I worked there for 3 years, saw the start of the changes to the waterfront in 1977. Boy, what a change! JoAnn calls Portland the "Seattle of the East". And I would agree.

Now on to the picture to your left. Ducks on an island during the boat ride. Why is it important? Here's the story. While waiting in line to board our ship, there were a bunch of seniors in walkers, a wheelchair and helpers trying to get them on the ship. An employee of the line apologized later for "the inordinate number of wheelchairs" for this trip. Hey, just let us on the ship. Anyway, it looked like these ducks on the rocks. Slow getting on, and last getting off. Lined up with no where to go.

Well we were near the tail end of the embarking people. However, the blog owner came through. As we were walking forward, she noticed some chairs under the staircase to the upper deck. We immediately took them. Easy to exit from, interesting because the only people next to us was a couple from Germany, and a GREAT post to take pix (which when we got home, the blogger-owner said "96 photos": hey, I thought we were on vacation. Trip was great: sun and wind and just a good time. After the end, we walked up to Commercial Street; JoAnn took a seat on a bench, and I got the car from the garage.

Oh, yea. On the trip, we had a gentlemen discuss the ducks on the rocks. He stated that they were amazing. Thinking about sitting up there, etc. And then, while waiting for me, he walked by JoAnn on Commercial Street and greeted her again. I guess the ducks are an omen. Of what I don't know. But this I do know, no boat trip in Maine has ever been without something interesting to remember. And, the South Coast is no different.

As an aside, the spoiled chocolate lab, Amber, is also on vacation. Noticed that she slept on the couch while we were gone, and on the rug, sound alseep, when we got home. Maine.....time seems to be slower here.

South Coast 2: The Bob's Clam Hut Story

JoAnn had been to Bob's way back when. She even remembered the gravelly parking lot. And she has always commented about the soft-belly fried clams. Thus one of the missions today was to take in the best of Maine eats. It started with the blogger hinting that we should have breakfast/brunch/lunch at The Maine Diner (featured on the Food Network, etc.). Well, when we got there, she decided that we would have lunch because "I can get breakfast anywhere." Sure. After all, they have a neon clock that states "Breakfast Anytime". Thus she did what she always does: change her mind. The order was for the famous two's : 2 eggs, 2 bacon, 2 sausages, 2 blueberry pancakes, and, of course, 2 toasts. She gave me a pancake, so she could get some of my potatoes. Breakfast was alright...hehehe.

Thus, the day well in hand, we proceeded (after some driving around and visiting lighthouses, and the Strawberry Banke area of Portsmouth, NH, we ended up at Bob's Clam Hut. Lots of people for lunch at 2 PM in the afternoon. "Clam Roll....$13.95" said the handwritten board. Of course, she made a suggestion, "Let's get and split the fried clam platter." Great suggestion, we got more clams, and spend less cash. Ok, the clams. Sweet, batter is over-the-top, and what can you say, they are the best in the world according to some. Mission accomplished: 2 Maine attractions visited in one trip. And without getting lost: thanks to Noreen at the Garmin Station.

As an aside.....the blogger is on vacation this week. And I have been forced to sum up the day's activities.

Maine 2009: The South Coast Edition By The Guest Blogger

Saturday night, quarter to 9, sitting at a table, looking over the salt marsh at high tide, I am the "guest blogger" tonight. Our drive from Bethlehem, Pa to Kennebunkport, Me of 402 miles was uneventful. No real side trips. Navigation with Noreen is always a trip however: some suggestions are plain stupid or plain brilliant. I don't know which. Got to the place at 56 Dyke Road (after Noreen could not find it). Exactly as advertised when we leased it. Even though we have not been here a full 12 hours, I know we will love the location to explore southern Maine. Quite different than Martha Stewart Downeast, the Boothbay Harbor midcoast location. The week here is going to be different: not much rushing about. I did promise JoAnn that she could go to antique shops this week, probably down in Wells (Kennebunkport will not have those tourist traps on their streets, hehe). Well, Saturday night would not be complete without the 1st dinner in Maine. Lobster, of course. But the Maine steamers were over the top. I had had them in the past, but never with JoAnn. She loved them. Anyway, Amber, the chocolate lab traveler, is now asleep on the rug; very much the vacation dog. We are sitting here, and ready to talk, liking the evening, and prepared for Sunday. Perhaps the Maine Diner for breakfast, featured on the Food Network, and then some shopping. It feels like Maine, again, and it feels right.

Stupid Twit

So, over a month since the first entry to this blog, and the same problem person had to be dealt with today. What's worse, is my boss always takes her side. I'm so glad I'm officially on vacation...

Work, Blech!

DVR It!

“So You Think You Can Dance” has gotten more interesting now that they are down to the final 10. I like when the dancers are forced to change partners. It makes for some challenging competition. The couple who waltzed last night had such a height disparity that the guy was in heels and the girl danced in her bare feet. Maybe if I remember, I will DVR the opening number for Ed to see. He’s never home in time, and I think that’s the best part of the results show.

Tonight is also eviction night on “Big Brother”. I missed the power of veto competition on the Tuesday night show because we were at the concert, and I forgot to DVR it. I do follow a website called http://www.jokersupdates.com/ that posts minute to minute updates of what is going on in the house, so I do know how the competition went.

I love my DVR!

Hide in Plain Sight

I spoke with my mom at lunch today, and she is still hiding out from Kathy. Kathy’s dad died, and she should be in my mom’s area on Thursday for the funeral, but if you knew this person you would know why my mom is avoiding her. She is 58 years old, never married, never held down a decent job for long, very poor grooming, etc. etc. She recently took all the money she got from the sale of her house in New Jersey, and purchased a house in North Carolina that she thinks she is going to “flip”.

When we were growing up as kids, her family lived across the street. Since she was 5 years older than me, I never really had much contact with her, but she was a strange bird back then, too. If she starts telling any type of story, it goes on and on past boredom to pure agony.

I know my mom feels badly about being deceptive, but if Kathy gets a hold of her, she’ll literally want to camp out at my mom’s house for through the weekend at least. So, meanwhile, my mom is not taking her calls, she’s keeping the house closed up, and won’t surface until she’s sure Kathy is gone. Then she plans to call her and act like she was out of town with me.

There was a big write up, front page, in fact, in our local newspaper about the concert last night. I’m so glad we got to go and see most of it. I really don’t have any regrets about missing Willie Nelson, and even the article said that John Mellencamp was the highlight of the evening. Bob Dylan, eh…take him or leave him, but I will acknowledge that he’s a musical legend.

Ed has been out and about today, doing lots of the last minute vacation related things that need to be done. He’s stopped the paper and mail for the week, and purchased filters for my aquarium so we can give that a good cleaning before we go. I checked the 10-day weather report for Kennebunkport, ME this morning, and was disappointed to see a lot of overcast, rainy weather predicted. Hopefully, the forecast is all wrong, like it is half the time anyway. Predicting the weather is a crap shoot at best.

No Cameras Allowed

The concert tonight was great, after a faulty start. Ed and I both left work to get to the stadium early, but when we got there the line of people waiting to get in pretty much double encircled the perimeter of the parking lot--a VERY long line. It was hot, and neither of us wanted to stand in that, so we decided to go to dinner and come back later.

We missed Willie Nelson, but got there just before John Mellencamp came on. He sang a lot of my favorite hits, and we were having a great time until one of the event workers confiscated our camera. We knew that cameras weren't allowed, but practically everyone in the stadium had a camera if they had a cell phone. I was pissed.

So, Ed had to be escorted to the stadium office and turn over our camera until we were ready to leave....

"I fight authority, authority always wins."

Mondays

I hate Mondays. Especially today; I was just very tired and very much not in the mood to be at work. The boss comes back tomorrow, so no more goofing off. In just a few short weeks, I'll be too busy to even entertain the thought of random web surfing moments at work.

Tomorrow night Ed and I are attending the Bob Dylan, John Mellencamp, Willie Nelson concert. I'm hoping we're able to find decent parking and seats. The youngest among the bunch is John Mellencamp at 57. When did all the rockers get so old?

Where's the Pepper Mill?

Other than not getting fresh ground pepper offered for my salad, and service that was a little bit slow, we had the best meal at this place tonight: http://mirabellacafe.com/

Nails

I went to the nail salon today. The first time I swung by they were too crowded, so I left and went to the pet store, filled up my gas tank, grabbed a burger, and came back. There was a pedicure chair free, so I went in. I had a pedicure and a manicure. The little Vietnamese lady said "You not been here long time!". I told her, "You got that right!". I had to have the soles of my feet shaved....since I have alligator feet normally. They now feel so nice and soft.

A new addition at the salon are two tv's. So, during my pedicure I watched some Adam Sandler movie on FX while the chair massaged my back.... Ahhhh.... sheer bliss.

I Forgot My Drugs

Product Review: Sonic Lime-Cranberry Ade is delicious!

So, the weekend is finally here. I’m doing my grocery shopping after work in the hope that I can free up my day tomorrow for other things—not sure what, but I’m tired of my Saturday being tied up grocery shopping.

On Sunday, we go down to South Jersey to see my mom. We travel to see her about once every three to four weeks. I wish she would come visit us sometime, but she is afraid to make the trip herself. So, since my dad died, and actually much before that, we make the trip to see her. She usually has a few chores for Ed to do around the house, and then we go out to dinner. I always try to pick up a few things from Wegmans that I think she would like. We also exchange a months worth of magazines.

Next week, we really have to start getting ready to go on vacation. Amber goes to the groomer on Wednesday, so at least we’ll be taking a clean dog with us. Ed usually makes lists, and we manage to pack everything and get going without forgetting anything. That is, EXCEPT for the infamous start to our first vacation to Maine three years ago; the “I forgot my drugs” trip. We were over an hour from home when Ed suddenly remembered that he didn’t pack his prescription medications, and we had to backtrack to pick them up. I was not happy.

Next week at work is going to drag, since I’ll only be thinking about getting out of there on Friday the 18th for a whole week of freedom.

Headed for Gamblers Anonymous?

We had a good time last night at the casino. We ate at the Cobalt Café, and had a pretty decent meal. It’s the kind of restaurant you expect to find at a casino. The menu had a limited number of full dinner type items, sandwiches, soups and salads, and they serve breakfast as well. They also have a buffet on the weekends that we would like to try some time.

After dinner we went to play the poker machines, and both Ed and I couldn’t remember the PIN for our comp cards, so we played without getting our free 5 bucks since the line for customer service was too long. We’ll have to get new PIN’s some other time. We figured after playing a voucher from last time, and cashing out two vouchers last night, minus the money we spent, minus the tip for the cocktail waitress, we came out $3.00 ahead! I’ll try not to spend it all in one place!

Tonight is the start of my ultimate guilty pleasure reality show, “Big Brother”. I can’t wait! I hope it’s an interesting group of people. Several years ago, I was so obsessed with the show that I would subscribe to the live feeds. Obsessed now? Not so much…

Scattered

My eyes are about to bleed. I have been translating orders from last year into current orders that can be entered from this year’s catalog. It involves a lot of going back and forth and substituting varieties, packaging, etc. My eyes hurt!

Ed and I are off to the casino to try our luck tonight. I’m not sure where we will have dinner…

After that, home to watch “So You Think You Can Dance”.

Silly, stupid entry, but I’m in a hurry.

The Bird

I ran over a bird today with my car. It was the strangest thing. I was on Rt. 22 headed to work, and I had just moved over from the left lane to the right, and spotted this white bird…a gull? a dove? I’m not sure what it was, but it was sitting smack dab in the middle of the road facing me. I was almost looking into its eyes. I was traveling at 65-70 mph and had nowhere to go, no way to avoid it and my car hit the bird. I felt the thump of the impact, and when I looked in the rearview mirror all I saw was a flurry of white feathers.

I like to think the reason I hit it was because the bird was injured anyway, and was unable to fly away, some sort of fate, karma. I felt just awful about it, and the feeling hung with me all day. Sometimes I’m pretty sure I care more about the welfare of animals more than that of many people. I’m not going to shed a tear over all the hoopla with the Michael Jackson memorial services today, but the death of a bird at my hands tears me up beyond reason.

Vacation Countdown

Back to work on Monday, and waiting in my email box was a response from the owner of the Maine rental house we will be traveling to in just 12 days! She apologized for taking so long with my check, but she said she was on vacation and deposited it today. She gave me the final details on the combination of the lockbox at the house and when we have to put out the trash. So it's official! Vay-Cay time in 12 days!

Work was work....it's always much harder to return after an extended break. The only good thing about it is that my boss is out of the country for the entire week. That makes me a happier worker.

The Guest Writer Is Back

Let's start the day with wanting to sleep in. OK. The blog general was not in the mood to do much today. "I don't want to go out," she said. And proceeded to take a shower, hint at wanting to go to the casino, and continued to play "Bubble Burst" or whatever that game is called.

However, I can understand this. There are days that all of us want to do nothing. Weather doesn't matter. Attitude doesn't matter. Just let time drift by. Perhaps that's a way of just making good with yourself. Don't have that many chances to explore that path.

And, that is why she didn't want to write today. It's her day to do nothing. And, I can respect that.

Happy 4th of July

We got a chance to practice our fireworks photography skills last night. Our minor league baseball team, the Iron Pigs, have fireworks after the game every Friday night they are home. We drove over there just as the game was ending, and found a good viewing spot, and snapped away. I think Ed's pictures came out better than mine, so he will have control of the camera for the big show tonight. I'm going to DVR Macy's Fireworks and the Boston Pops, so I don't miss a thing.

On the menu today: Ribs, potato salad, corn on the cob

Good Intentions

Well, I really did want to get my hair done today.

Apparently, every other person around here had the same idea today. I think almost everyone had today off, since the 4th falls on Saturday. I went to the one place I go most often, and the stylist looked at me with a forlorn look when I said I was there for a cut and perm. She said, "I'm going to have to go very slowly because I hurt me finger. Is that okay?". I said fine, and then she looked even sadder when I asked if she could roll it as a spiral perm, and then she flat out told me she couldn't do it. Neither could the other two stylists...one was going home, and the other one was busy coloring her own hair.

With that, I left, and I stopped in at three other, no-appointment type hair places, and they were all packed. I'm hoping to fit a visit in on Sunday. Hopefully, the hair cutting craze in the valley will be over by then.

Holiday Weekend

Today at work, I was making accounts receivable calls for a good portion of the day. It’s definitely not my favorite task, but it is my responsibility, so I dutifully make the calls whenever I can fit them in. The excuses that people have for not mailing payment are just incredible sometimes. One garden center that I called today said they haven’t paid because they have a new accounting system, and nobody knows how to use it. Okay….I’ve got a checkbook, but I don’t know how to open the cover. Riggghhht……

I’m looking forward to having the long weekend off. It’s not like we’re doing anything special, because Ed will still be working his normal schedule, and he even has to work a short day on the 4th. But still, it will be nice to have some time off. I need to read up on my new camera so I can get some good fireworks shots.

The house across the street has gone on the market. I can’t wait until they have an open house, so we can go see it. Realistically, it doesn’t make sense to move, but it is a big, single home as opposed to our twin. The disadvantage is that it’s broken into two units, with the upstairs rented. Each space is only a little over 1,000 square feet, so not much living space there if the one unit is still rented out. Anyway, I will still be curious to see inside the house as soon as they hold an open house.

Death

Death. I am sick to death of death.

Farrah, Michael, now Karl.

I had no idea I spoke with my father 2 and a half hours the Sunday before he died. Ed said I did. All I know is that I cherish that day, and any reminder of it still makes me cry.

Watching the Clock

Does time stand still at 5:00 pm, or is it my imagination? Every day at work from 5 pm until 5:15 pm when I can technically leave, those 15 minutes seem to pass by so slowly. The company where I work is in the business of wholesale flower bulbs, so our workload greatly fluctuates throughout the year. June and the first part of July are probably our most down months of the year. Then it’s craziness and overtime galore from August up to the end of November for the fall season. It slows down again around the holidays, and then we prepare for spring shipments in February, and the whole cycle repeats itself. I would always rather be busy than not, so this time of year is rough on me. Oh well, soon enough I’ll be complaining about working Saturdays.

The Bachelorette and Other Randomness

Woo hoo!! Jake is now revealing to Jillian that Wes has a girlfriend! How is that for an up to the minute news flash? I don't know why I keep watching this show....

I talked with my mother today, and the window installers installed all her windows in just one day. Given the number of windows in her house, that's pretting amazing.

I posted my Bob Dylan tickets on Craig's List today. If there are no bites there over the next couple days, then I'll post an auction on E-Bay. Worse comes to worst, I'll have Ed scalp them at the stadium.

We Should Have Taken Big Mine Road

• J says: Ed and I made a little day trip to Centralia, PA today. It is known as a ghost town in Pennsylvania, since it is the site of a mine fire that has been burning for over 40 years. It was kind of creepy, actually. It's just a grid of streets with vegetation growing over the streets and not much else. We didn't see anything like the steaming picture above, but you can certainly tell that there's something wrong in Centralia!

• E says: There is always a reason that JoAnn wants to go on these trips. It's a feeling that she wants to go to the end of things. Something that her father always did, thus the daughter. We went to easternmost point of the US in Maine. We just added Centralia to this list. Won't be the last either. Anyway, I did enjoy the drive; and didn't watch any sports today. But enjoyed the 4 hour trip, and the small conversation.

Bad Dream

I have been having a series of dreams recently where I'm much younger in my dream, and I'm with my parents, sometimes my sisters, and they are all much younger, too. Last night, actually this morning, the dream I was having woke me up.

I was in a house, not a familiar house, and the only detail I noticed was that there was a big picture window in the room. I was there along with my mom and my dad. Outside, I could see rolling hills and there was heavy snow falling--blizzard conditions with the snow drifting and the wind howling. The three of us were sitting around just talking, and all of a sudden I felt the room start moving. It was almost like being on a boat riding over the snow covered hills. I started getting scared, and my dad said we'd be okay once it stopped, but it didn't stop. It started picking up speed, and as I watched the hills go by faster and faster out the window, I knew in my gut this was going to end badly.

I realized that the room had detached from the house itself and we were headed for the ocean. Somehow at the last minute, I was able to escape out a window, and my dad also ended up standing on the beach with me. My mother was nowhere to be found, and I was so worried because I knew she couldn't swim and she was so fearful of the water. My dad and I stood there for a while watching the house sink into the water, and then we headed up the beach to another house, where my dad handed me silverware to set a table with...WTF?

Suddenly, I heard a commotion coming from the beach, and a little boy was screaming that my mother stepped on his head getting out of the floating room. I ran down to the beach, and there was my mother, standing soaking wet, smiling.

Weird dream.

They Come In Threes

It really is true that deaths come in threes. First, Ed McMahon on Tuesday, and then Farrah Fawcett and Michael Jackson yesterday. I almost feel that Farrah got short changed for news worthiness because of MJ dying on the same day. Not that she's around to worry about the media coverage, but I just think that she deserves more respect and attention than Michael because of the circumstances of her death. Farrah suffered for 2-1/2 years with cancer, and Michael Jackson probably just drugged himself up. We shall see what the autopsy report says.

R.I.P. Farrah and Michael

Junk TV

Tonight is elimination night on “So You Think You Can Dance”, one of my can’t-miss shows of the summer. I am hoping that the Asian chick and her partner go home. I just think they are the weakest couple, and if it’s not tonight it will be soon. It’s also part 2 of the reunion show for “Real Housewives of New Jersey”. I think I will DVR that one for later. Only the best trash TV for me.

It’s finally starting to feel like summer here. I left the air conditioner on downstairs for Amber today. She really suffers from the heat, and especially at her old age of 12 going on 13, I want to make sure she’s always comfortable. Although we also got the unit in to the upstairs bedroom window last night (after much arguing over the installation!), I’m hoping we don’t have to use it tonight. I like sleeping with the big overhead fan going much more than listening to the air conditioner cycle on and off. It’s really time for a new, quieter, more energy efficient unit, but I think we’ll just deal with this one for one more season. It’s hard to stop using an appliance that still works.

Casino Royale

Ed and I went to the PA Sands casino last night. It still seems really strange to have a casino a 5 minute car ride away. Our plan was to have dinner, and play a little on the poker slots afterwards.

We ended up at the Irish pub restaurant, which turned out to be somewhat disappointing. I ordered the corned beef and cabbage, and Ed ordered the fish and chips---two dishes that you would expect an Irish pub would be capable of preparing well, no? The corned beef was tough, and I tasted Ed’s fish, and the crust tasted soggy to me. I think that will be our first and last visit to this particular restaurant.

After dinner, we figured out how to claim our “free play” money on the machines. We both had $5.00 to redeem based on our last visit there--this was only our second time at the casino. Then, I also had a voucher that we had cashed out on our last visit for $23.00. My big “hit” was 5 of a kind on a “deuces wild” game that paid out $50.00. Of course, I didn’t walk away with my winnings…. The damages weren’t too bad, though, maybe $35.00 lost between the two of us.

It’s interesting, because the Sands has a very catchy television commercial showing all the lights and music and excitement of the casino, with young, attractive couples dancing around with drinks in their hands.



In reality, the vast majority of the casino visitors couldn’t be of a more opposite demographic. Most people are my age or older, some much older. They are not dancing at all; on the contrary, many are moving around in those electrical carts or wheelchairs. It’s not even uncommon to see people toting their portable oxygen tanks. When I see people like that, I hope they aren’t hardcore gamblers, but are just there for a little fun and the possibility of forgetting about their physical ailments for a little while.

Mariposa Skies

I don’t have much to say today, so I think I will just post a pretty picture of a bearded iris.

Facebook Frenzy

Well, I suppose I survived yesterday. Father’s Day is over, and now I can move on until his birthday, Christmas… *Sigh*

It was such a relief to see the sun yesterday, and to see Ed finally able to mow the lawn (jungle!). Of course, this was after I performed a “turd patrol” to pick up Amber’s poops. Not my favorite task, but it genuinely makes Ed gag, so I decided to step up to the plate, or poop? and take care of it. Everything in the yard and garden seems to be growing somewhat poorly, but that is to be expected with the number of rainy days and lack of sun we’ve had over the past few weeks.

My mother has joined Facebook, and she added me as a friend. I had to reset my password, because I really don’t use it at all, to the point that I couldn’t log in. I’ll have to find out why she wanted to join when I talk with her. My nephew also added me. Then, that seemed to open the flood gates. In short order, I had requests from a cousin and both of her kids. All this for a program that is really not my thing, but I suppose it doesn’t hurt to accept my family as friends.

I didn’t even realize I had a request from Ed from some time ago, so I answered that one too. It’s probably considered poor form and bad Facebooketiquette to refuse to add your significant other as a friend.

Father's Day

Hi, Daddy,

Today is your special day, and you are not here. I miss you today, of course, but I miss you every day. You suffered so long, and were so weak at the end. Only because of the way it was in the end, do I know that you are now in a much better place.

Whenever I think about you, I still feel so sad and empty. Tears well up in my eyes right now. So, I just try to remember all the good things about you, what a wonderful husband, dad and man you were.

Thinking of you, today and always,

Your daughter

Guest What? The Blogger Is Brain Dead Tonight

I am sure it is the weather. Rainy, Seattle like. No sun. Didn't want to go shopping because of rain drops. Oh well. Today, I am the guest writer: sounds like a pinch hitter to me for this blog. Well, when she said she had nothing to write about, she was wrong. Nothing like going grocery shopping on a Saturday night, never did that before in my life. Kind of interesting watching Wegman's closing up for the night in the various departments after, I am sure , was a busy day. Overall, it felt right though. Saved some time for Sunday. Got to spend some time together after all. And it became a normal, but savored, night for the weekend. And, when the blogger comes back to edit this, I only wish that there be sub-footnotes to this entry. I enjoyed this guest appearance in an ongoing blog.

Gary Papa

Gary Papa died today. I feel like I've watched him my whole life, although that's not quite correct. He didn't become the ABC sportscaster in Philadelphia until 1981. In fact, he's only a year and a half older than me. Anyway, it's been a very long time that he's been the face of sports in Philly. Many people, I'm sure, will feel like they've lost a family member. He fought a very public battle against prostate cancer, and he sadly lost the battle today.

Sometimes I think my dad is gathering his favorite people to surround him in the after life--first Harry Kalas (the voice of the Phillies) and now Gary Papa.

Another Rainy Day

My boss was back from her two-day business trip meeting with one of our best customers in New England. As usual, she always comes back in a more sour mood than when she left. I know she really just needs to get laid in the worst way, but I don't see that happening anytime too soon. She will be forty in August, never married, no kids, no life outside of work. I was happy to see 5:15 roll around, and be out the door.

I stopped at KFC tonight on the way home and picked up a 2 piece grilled chicken meal. I really like the grilled version. I haven't eaten the fried in years, and although I'm sure the sodium is still through the roof, the grilled is good once in a while.

I wasn't following the news much today, but I did catch the story of pilot who died while flying a trans-atlantic flight for Continental. The media keeps making such a big deal about the co-pilot making a safe landing. I would certainly hope that the co-pilot on any flight could fly just as well as the pilot.

So, I think this makes about 2 weeks since we've seen the sun around here? It rained all day.

Rolling In It

My mom gave me a check for $6000.00 last Sunday. It was the second installment on my birthday money. She usually gives me $10,000.00 twice a year---birthday and Christmas. Her theory is that it's better to filter it down while she's alive, rather than be stuck with inheritance taxes after she's gone. Trust me, I am not complaining.

Ed works for a new car dealership, and things on that front have been very slow, so this money is very welcome. I think I'm going to pay off my car. I have $2900 or so to go, and I think it would be nice to know that I own the car outright.

Decisions, decisions.

In other news, I have a crockpot of pork barbecue going for dinner, and I'm looking forward to "So You Think You Can Dance" this evening. Simple pleasures!

Triggers

It was such a small thing, and yet it happens all the time, some little thing that triggers my thoughts about my dad. I printed packing slips today for the company that must not be named...my workplace, and there it was in the packing slip notes: Happy Father's Day, Dad.

This will be my first Father's Day without my dad. We always joked that it was a "Hallmark holiday", but my dad never failed to tell me what a nice card I sent him.

He died on December 5, 2008, and it still feels so fresh and raw to me. I miss him every day.

Sunday will be difficult.

Swingtown

I was really hoping that the show "Swingtown" was going to be renewed by CBS this summer. Apparently not....

http://tvseriesfinale.com/articles/swingtown-bravo-picks-ups-cbs-drama-good-news-for-season-two/

It always seems like the shows I fall in love with get canceled in short order. This season alone, "Life on Mars" and "The Unusuals" were two of my favorites. Canceled!

I may have to buy the "Swingtown" DVD when it comes out and torture Ed with it. He absolutely hated the show. I think my reasons for liking the show so much had to do more with the 70's soundtrack and set design than anything else. It was *my* period of time, my formative years.

All I can say is don't go cancel "Madmen" on me. I will cry.

Computer Guru

We just got home from a trip to see my mom. She lives about an hour and quarter south of our home firmly ensconced in New Jersey suburbia. The last time we were down to see her, I tried to update her computer with the windows service packs, and thoroughly mucked things up. Her machine was trashed anyway, so this time I brought recovery discs and managed to get her up and running. Go me!

Inertia, or what the heck am I doing with my life?

Well, day 2. I am hoping I will be able to write something, anything, every day. I really don't know where my life has gone. I wish now, that I had made some effort to document. I only have memories to rely on, and at 53 my memory is not as good as it used to be.

Today, I sit here at my computer, vaguely watching the Food Network out of the corner of my eye, and contemplate taking a shower and getting to the grocery store. I suppose you could set a clock to my Saturday routine. It doesn't vary much. I try to sleep in as late as possible (because I can!). Then I have coffee, a litte breakfast, shower and off to Wegmans. For people that don't have a Wegmans, you are really missing out. But, I guess that is a story for another day.

I remember when I used to do so much more on Saturdays than grocery shopping. I just feel like it's so hard to do anything anymore.

Today

Wow, it feels great to be on the tail end of Friday. Work was frustrating today. Unfortunately there is no cure for stupid.